1. The Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for monitoring transaction data. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for filtering transaction data or inserting data, without interfering with the computer applications or transactions performed by the point-of-sale systems.
2. The Relevant Technology
Point-of-sale (POS) systems are widely used in the world today to perform various types of transactions including financial transactions. A typical POS system includes a POS terminal that is connected with a printer. The POS terminal is also connected with various devices, such as a card reader, that may be used to collect data from a user or customer. Once the data is collected (such as by swiping the card in the card reader), the applications including the payment system of the POS terminal attempt to authorize the transaction using the collected data. Once the transaction is authorized and completed, a printer is typically used to provide a receipt of the transaction to the user. Thus, the POS terminal is often used as a payment mechanism and one of the primary purposes of the POS terminal is to enable an entity to authorize credit, debit, and check transactions. Once authorized, the POS system can then finalize the transaction.
Often, a POS terminal is integrated with other systems. For example, the POS terminal may be connected to a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and/or the Internet. Over the LAN, for instance, the POS terminal may have access to several databases that can be used in various stages of the transactions performed by the POS terminal. These databases may include a price look up (PLU) database, a transaction log database, management information, and the like. Some of the information in these databases may be accessed and used during the course of a particular transaction.
For example, the POS terminal may be connected to a bar code reader. After scanning the bar code from a product, the POS terminal may access the PLU database to determine the price associated with the scanned bar code. In this manner, the bar code reading application as well as other applications on the POS terminal can be used to facilitate the price look up operation as well as other aspects of the transaction including the financial aspects.
Because a POS terminal interacts with various devices, databases, networks, and other systems, upgrading the POS terminal or one of the devices or databases can present several difficulties. One of the primary concerns when upgrading a POS terminal is ensuring that compatibility remains between the POS terminal and the other devices, databases, etc., used in the POS system. Incompatibility can result in downtime that is costly in terms of both time and money.
As a result, upgrading a POS terminal or a printer in a POS system often requires substantial testing of the POS terminal in order to insure compatibility with other components of the POS system. Several question and answer sessions may be required, in fact, in order to fully implement the various changes included in the upgrade. In addition, there is the additional cost of training employees to use the new POS terminal and associated applications.
Further, some entities may be hesitant to upgrade their POS terminal in view of the fact that the applications operating on their POS terminal are no longer supported by the manufacturer. As a result, there is no guarantee that the upgrade can be successful without compromising existing data or without causing compatibility issues that are difficult to resolve.